Over the weekend my wife and I started preparations for our Mediterranean cruise that we’ll be going on next month. We went shopping for clothes, bought secure travel bags for carrying our things around and began doing some research for the tours we’ll be taking.
Our cruise will not be a frugal expense to say the least – even though we’re not paying for the cruise itself (in-laws are paying for that). We are paying for all the off-ship excursions, which cost us about $2000. We also will have to pay for any meals off of the ship, souvenirs, clothing (we’re buying clothes for the “formal” dinners on the ship), along with a ton of other travel gear that you never would even think of needing.
While every fiber of my being is revolting against spending so much money for this cruise, I know these types of trips don’t come along very often, and when they do you need to take advantage. As such we’ve thrown our budget out the window for the next month or so. We aren’t putting a limit on our clothes, eating out or blow money categories while we’re on this trip – we’ve put the budget on hold. At the same time all of the money for this trip has already been saved, so we’re not putting anything on credit. I think that is important.
I think having one of these free months every once in a while isn’t necessarily a bad thing – it helps to keep us refreshed and on track. Once we come back from our trip – it’ll be back on track with retirement savings, cutting expenses and so forth.
So while we were getting ready for our trip, here are some of the articles I read this weekend:
- Frugal Fridge Repair @ remodeling this life: Fixing it yourself is always cheaper than buying something new!
- Would you prefer a 4 day workweek? @ Cashmoneylife.com: Patrick looks at a shorter work week. Would you like a shorter week?
- PT Money Raps about paying yourself first @ ptmoney.com: Extremely funny rap video from PT over at PTmoney.com
- What is the difference between frugal and cheap? @ Christianpf.com: Are you frugal, or just plain cheap?
- Things we don’t do ourselves @ sensetosave.com: Sometimes you just want to pay someone else to do the job for you.
- Your emergency fund – what qualifies as an emergency? @ consumerismcommentary.com: What constitutes an emergency at your house?
- Do Variable Annuities pose a systemic risk @ milkyourmoney.com
- Unexpected expenses @ paidtwice.com: Have you had any unexpected expenses this year? I know we have.
- Credit report vs. credit score @ freefrombroke.com: what’s the difference?
- Your site is now worth something! @ Myinvestingblog.com: Find out what YOUR site is worth.
Here are a few of my popular articles from last week:
- My guide to making money with cashcrate.com: I’ve already made almost $30 this month using Cash Crate, after getting a check for $27+ last month. If you haven’t checked it out yet, give it a shot!
- Meeting Governor Tim Pawlenty: Last week we met the Governor of Minnesota. It was a lot of fun, and he was very nice in person.
- Take advantage of manufacturer’s warranties, but don’t buy extended warranties: I talk about my experiences using warranties, and NOT buying extended warranties.
- Are you building credit, or just going into debt? : I talk about the negative impact of debt, and the lies we tell ourselves to make us feel better about debt.
- It's A New Year. Time For A Fresh Start! 2008 Recap.
- August Top Referrers and Traffic: 100,000 Page Views!
- Monday Roundup and Links
- Submit your post for our "Frugal things to do when you're in.." series and map
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
You have to tell us how the cruise goes! I heard so many great things about taking a cruise but haven’t gone on one yet.
Have fun on your cruise! I agree that if you save up for the trip, it is better. You don’t have to feel guilty about borrowing the money for fun. And even though it is a lot of money, I always find that these once-in-a-very-great-while opportunities are worth it in the end.
My wife and I went on a Mediterranean cruise last fall, and it was amazing. We started in Barcelona, went to France, Monaco, Italy, Corsica, Gibralter, and back to Spain.
My advice? Pack light for your excursions. Just bring your camera and the right clothes for the weather. Other than that, see and do as much as you can. These trips don’t come along often, and you need to take advantage of them while you can!
Thanks for the mention.
Patricks last blog post..Would You Prefer a Four Day Work Week?
Don’t feel guilty about this trip for one second!
Cruises are actually a really frugal way to travel. They’re incredible–amazing sights, food, entertainment, and much more.
And you’ll feel so recharged afterwards. It’s definitely worth it!
Kacies last blog post..Sharing a $37,000 diamond necklace
@Kacie – I won’t feel guilty, don’t worry. We are going to have a great time, I just know it!
@Patrick – thanks for the trips, it really is confusing trying to plan for one of these trips.
If anyone wants to send me a guest post to post while we’re gone, I’d appreciate it!
Thanks for the mention, Pete! Your cruise is going to be amazing. I am not the least bit jealous. Oh, wait…maybe I am
Thanks for the mention and have fun on the cruise! You deserve it!
I’m jealous! My wife and I have always wanted to take a Mediterranean cruise but they’re always so pricey and take so long (rightfully so), it’s great that you’ve budgeted for this already. Have fun!
jim of Blueprint for Financial Prosperitys last blog post..$7500 First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit